Death Wish Coffee vs. Liquid Death: Trademark Battle! | Case Brief

·21 min·2 clips

Death Wish Coffee sues Liquid Death for trademark infringement over a planned coffee launch.

The episode begins with a sponsor ad for Quince before transitioning into the case brief. Host Emily D. Baker introduces the lawsuit: Death Wish Coffee versus Liquid Death in federal court in California. Death Wish, a premium coffee brand since 2012, claims Liquid Death is infringing trademarks by planning to launch coffee beverages under names like 'Liquid Death Death-a-Chino' around January 2026. The lawsuit includes causes for trademark infringement, false designation of origin, and unfair competition. Baker reads from the complaint, noting Death Wish's request to enjoin Liquid Death from using 'death'-formative marks in coffee. She mentions a playful 2022 social media exchange between the brands. Death Wish sent a cease-and-desist letter in July 2025; Liquid Death delayed response until September 2025, then confirmed coffee products are forthcoming. Baker highlights Liquid Death's Instagram post from October 9th, where they state they have no real plans to launch coffee and suggest Death Wish's CEO is 'paranoid'. She reads excerpts from legal letters, including Death Wish's reference to the 'Death Wish' movie and their history of obtaining injunctions against other 'death'-themed coffee brands like Death Before Decaf and Death Hell Coffee. The letters argue that adding words to 'death' does not avoid infringement. Baker discusses whether 'Death-a-Chino' counts as coffee or a coffee-flavored beverage, and the potential for consumer confusion. She notes Liquid Death's energy drink launch in January and trademark applications for other products. The episode concludes with Baker summarizing the legal stakes and encouraging listeners to subscribe for more coverage.

As heard by us

A trademark fight asks how far brand attitude can stretch before it crosses into someone else's lane.

A fight over the word "death" turns into a tight look at what happens when a brand's attitude starts to brush up against another company's lane.

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Why you'd press play

Press play when you want a quick trademark case brief where a coffee fight turns the word death into the thing everyone is arguing over.

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